Famous oil painting locations, THEN AND NOW. See actual present day locations, that inspired artists to set up their easel and paint their famous oil paintings. We traveled the globe, find the spots the painters were at and photographed it as it looks today. Compare side by side photos of the original work of art and present-day images. As you look at Then and Now photo comparisons, we will point out any strange inconsistencies. How true were the artists to the actual scenes they painted? You can see yourself how accurate or creative the artists were in their depictions.

Then and Now, celebrated artworks and their real locations photos might inspire you to look at art a new way. You will see that some places are rather ordinary, nothing special, but they were able to make them into extraordinary works of art. By comparing the actual settings with the artwork, you will see what they saw 100, 200, 300 years ago. Enjoy our collection of notable oil paintings and their true life locations.

Famous Oil Paintings re-interpreted with Tilt-Shift Photography.

Can a renowned oil painting be re-interpreted in a new method? Using museum oil paintings we decided to try to see what would happen. We have taken some of the worlds best oil paintings from the most famous painters and using tilt-shift photography and selective focus, have made a fantastic new interpretation of some of their classic artwork.

Nothing in any of these oil paintings been added or removed, the effect is accomplished simply by simulating depth of field and perspective control, also known as Tilt-Shift Photography, adjusting an area of the painting to put it into more focus, while making the foreground or background less focused. The results can range from a look of miniaturization to a look of 3-D, as you will see. We are sure you will discover several paintings as you have never seen them before. After all, artists have been re-interpreting paintings for centuries, and that is exactly what these new painting photos do, providing a fresh perspective on these masterpieces.

Achenbach - Oswald Achenbach Market Square in Amalfi

Market Square in Amalfi Then and Now Photo and Oil Painting.

This painting was done in 1876. It does resemble the present day facade because the front exterior was modified in 1891 after the first one caved in.

It is of striped marble and stone with open arches that have lace detailing not found in Italian sacred architecture while the tiled dome is quite common among churches of the area.

Amalfi Cathedral (Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea/Duomo di Amalfi) is a ninth century Roman Catholic structure in the Piazza del Duomo, Amalfi, Italy. It is dedicated to the Apostle Saint Andrew. Of Arab-Norman Romanesque architectural style, it has been redesigned several times, adding Romanesque, Byzantine, Gothic, and Baroque elements. The cathedral includes the adjoining ninth century Basilica of the Crucifix.

The newer cathedral was built alongside to the older basilica that was built on the remains of a previous temple. The remaining of St. Andrew were supposedly brought to Amalfi from Constantinople in 1206 during the Fourth Crusade by Cardinal Peter of Capua in 1208.

Tilt-Shift Oswald Achenbach Market Square In Amalfi Photo.

The subtle focus manipulation of the foreground, centerd on the street sellers and up to the man in the roadway was the limit needed to achieve this beautiful tilt-shift photograph.

Achenbach - Oswald Achenbach Triumphal Arch In Rome

Arch of Constantine Then and Now Photo and Oil Painting.

The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch in Rome, arranged between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was raised by the Roman Senate to recognize Constantine I's triumph over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. Dedicated in 315, it is the most recent of the current triumphal arches in Rome, and the only one to make extensive use of spolia, re-utilizing a few noteworthy reliefs from second-century imperial monuments, which give a striking and expressive difference to the figures recently made for the arch.

The arch spans the Via Triumphalis, the way taken by the emperors when they entered the city in triumph. This route started at the Campus Martius, driven through the Circus Maximus, and around the Palatine Hill; promptly after the Arch of Constantine, the parade would turn left at the Meta Sudans and march along the Via Sacra to the Forum Romanum and on to the Capitoline Hill, passing both the Arches of Titus and Septimius Severus.

Tilt-Shift Oswald Achenbach Triumphal Arch In Rome Photo.

There were many different areas to choose from to do the tilt-shift, but since the paintings emphasis is the arch, in this case, it was the best choice.

Bierstadt - Albert Bierstadt Roman Fish Market, The Arch of Octavius

Roman Fish Market, The Arch of Octavius Then and Now Photo and Oil Painting.

It is hard to find the right photo for the position of this painting, as most photos are taken from the front, showing the columns to the left of the arch. But the painting was actually done from the right side arch which 1. Is lower than the main arch and more in line with the scale of his arch in comparison to people and 2. Since the painting, you can see two arches with buildings on the right side extending past the second arch, this arch on the right side of the main portico is the only place he could have painted this oil painting from.

The Porticus Octaviae.

The structure was built in 27 BC by Augustus for the sake of his sister, Octavia Minor, in place of the Porticus Metelli. It burned in 80 AD and was restored, by Domitian, and again after another fire in 203 AD by Septimius Severus and Caracalla. It was embellished with foreign marble and contained numerous well known of pieces of art, identified in Pliny's ''Natural History''.The structure was harmed by a tremor in 442 AD when two of the devastated columns were replaced with an arched opening which still stands today. The church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria was built in the ruins around 770 AD.

The portico was used as a fish market from the medieval period, and up to the end of the nineteenth century. This role is remembered in the name of the annexed church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria Italian: "the Holy Angel in the Fish Market". It was here also, at the end of the eighteenth century that the Jews were forced on Saturdays to listen to the sermons were given by the Jesuit priests in the hope “Li Giudei” would be converted. It is said that the Jews plugged their ears so as not to hear.

Tilt-Shift Albert Bierstadt Roman Fish Market Arch of Octavius Photo.

The tilt-shift focus manipulation to achieve this beautiful photograph of people in the foreground, centered around the large table, gives this painting truly a look of miniaturization.

Bierstadt - Tilt-Shift Albert Bierstadt Oil Paintings.

Tilt-Shift Landscape Rockland County California by Albert Bierstadt.

Tilt-Shift Nassau Harbor by Albert Bierstadt.

Tilt-Shift Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt.

Tilt-Shift Moat Mountain Intervale New Hampshire by Albert Bierstadt.

Brett - John Brett Entrance To Yarmouth Harbor

Entrance To Yarmouth Harbor Then and Now Photo and Oil Painting.

Yarmouth is an appealing little town at the western tip of the Isle of Wight, seaward of the South East of England. Everything in Yarmouth is by all accounts on a little scale; small narrow streets nestle against a little castle and a little harbor, and the ferry terminal is actually built against the castle walls. Not much seems to have changed in the ensuing years since this oil painting was made, not even the cloudy sky.

Tilt-Shift Photo John Brett Entrance To Yarmouth Harbor.

The tilt-shift focus was centered on the two fishermen sitting on the dock. Most of the dock was slowly made out of focus as the distance increases, and all the houses were purposely done out of focus to simulate more distance.

Cézanne - Paul Cezanne Gardanne

Gardanne Then and Now Photo and Oil Painting.

This is one of three oil paintings of Gardanne, a small town hill town near Aix-en-Provence, France, where Cézanne stayed in the autumn of 1885 and most of 1886.

The views anticipate Cubism in their restricted colors and faceted forms. As Cezanne progressed with his experimentations in this area, his paintings became more abstract. So, in a way, this is a precursor of a style that had not yet been invented.

Tilt-Shift Paul Cezanne Gardanne Photo.

With the early beginnings of Cubism in this painting, as with most Cubist paintings, it is flat, with little depth of field. The tilt-shift Paul Cezanne Gardanne has no easy starting point, but there is a pattern of angles on the roofline that take it towards the background, that was the area to concentrate on.

Cézanne - Tilt-Shift Paul Cezanne Oil Paintings.

Tilt-Shift Still Life Pitcher and Fruit by Paul Cezanne.

Tilt-Shift Bathers Les Grandes Baigneuse by Paul Cezanne.

Tilt-Shift Sainte Victoire 1890 by Paul Cezanne.

Constable - John Constable The Hay Wain

Then and Now The Hay Wain Photo and Oil Painting.

The Hay Wain was painted in 1821 by John Constable, it was originally titled 'Noon'. The location of the painting is in the village of Flatford Mill, about 60 miles northeast of London. The cart in the center is a Hay Wain. A hay wain is a hay wagon, a wagon was then called a wain and a person who built or fixed them was a Wainwright. So the main subject here is not the cottage or the pond, it's the horse and wagon. As you can see, the charming cottage is still standing, nothing much has changed. There is another painting, not as famous, called Willy Lotts House The Subject Of Constables Hay Wain by Benjamin Williams Leader.

Tilt-Shift John Constable The Hay Wain Photo.

The tilt-shift Hay Wain is centered on the hay wain cart, the field of vision is a horizontal line from edge to edge of the painting, causing the foreground and background to be out of focus, thereby simulating distance.

Constable - John Constable Hadleigh Castle

Hadleigh Castle Then and Now Photo and Oil Painting.

The full title of this artwork is Hadleigh Castle The Mouth Of The Thames Morning After A Stormy Night.

Built after 1215 amid the rule of Henry III by Hubert de Burgh. Hadleigh Castle was significantly extended and redesigned by Edward III, who turned it into a more stupendous property, intended to protect against potential French assault and in addition give the King a convenient and private living arrangement near London.

Built on a geologically precarious slope of London clay, the castle has frequently been subject to subsidence; this, combined with the sale of its stonework in the sixteenth century, has led to it now being ruined.

Tilt-Shift John Constable Hadleigh Castle Photo.

The tilt-shift Hadleigh Castle photo keeps the big lower left side rock and the sheepherder as the main focus area while gently making the background to be out of focus, to accentuate the great vista.